Poultry exerciser and feeder.



F. A. RAPPLEYE.

POULTRY EXERGIEER AND FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT, 24. 1914.

1,132,973. Patented Mar. 23, 1915 INVENTOR By Altorneys, h

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EAPPLEYE, or INTERLAKEN, NEW YORK, A SSIGNOR r0 novnn- .mcunn'ronmuumc'ruame COMPANY, or BROWN MILLS, NEW Jnnsnr, A

CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK AYERS RAP- PLEYE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the village of Interlaken, in the county of Seneca,in the State of New York, have invented certainnew and usefulImprovements in Poultry Exercisers and Feeders, of which the followingis a specification. This inventionvrelates to a poultry exerciser andfeeder, and has for an object to associate an'exerciser with a devicefor controlling the distribution of scratch feed, and to locate one orniorefeed troughs in such position that the spillings therefrom willfall on the feeding floor in the zone of scratch feed distribution, andto closely assemble a plurality of feed distributers.

In the drawings accompanying this spec1- *fica'tion one practicableembodiment of a formof the invention is illustrated, in which drawings-Figure 1 is-a vertical central section of the device; Fig. 2 is a topplan View; and Fig.

,is a detail of aswivel.

The scratch feed container 1 is shown in the form of a cylinder havingat bottom a sloping or funnel-shaped discharge 2 which is provided witha discharge opening 3. This cylinder is shown supported by suitablestandards, in the present illustration four legs 4:, which hold thecontainer at a suitable distance from the feeding floor 5.

A disk 6 is provided for forming a closure for the discharge 3. Suchdisk is flexibly supported and in the present illustration is carried bya pendulous rod 7 which extends through the scratch feed container 1.This rod is shown adjustably carried by a crossbar 10 at top of thecontainer 1. The position of the bar may be adjusted from time .to timeas occasion may demand, owing to the quantity of 'feed which it isdesired shall be discharged, or owing to the size of the feed, by meansof set nuts 11, 11, carried by the screw threaded end 12 of the rod Thenuts 11, 11 are .located'upon the top and bottom respectively of thecross-bar 10. In. .Fig. 1 the rod 7 is shown resilient and rigidlyconnected to the cross-bar. In some instances it is desirable to formthe rod 7 in two parts jointed together. An eye or link connection isshown at 8 in Fig. 3.

The rod -7 is illustrated as comprising a POULTRY EXERCISER AND FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patnte d Mar. 23, 1915 Applicationfiled October 24, 1914. Serial No. 868,899. I

portion of theexerciser and carries at a suitable height for the purposea bait container 1-3 in which some suitable feed or attractive materialw1ll be placed to induce the bird, as 14, to peck. at thebait containerfor the purpose 'of swinging the bar and shifting the closure 6relatively to the openin 3. The closure will be returned to normaTposition by the weight of-theassoci'ated parts. v Straw or othermaterial 15 is preferably placed upon the feedin floor 5, and when ahungry bird sees the ait within the contamer 13, it will proceed to peckupon the container 13, whereupon the bait and the rod 7 swlng away fromthe bird, for instance lnto the dotted line position- 7 13, which movesthe closure into such position that a certain amount'of scratch feed isdischarged and falls upon the feeding floor. The bird upon seeing thefeed thus falling will turn its attention to gathering the feed from theoor.

For the purposeof distributing the scratch feed over a larger zone thanit would otherwlse fall upon, a deflector 16 is rovided, which in thepresent illustration 1s carried by the rod 7' and swings therewith. Thisdefiector is shown umbrella shaped, and will distribute the-feed in asuitable zone so that the bird to gather it Will have to search amongthe straw or other material 15 upon the feeding floor. The distributerwhen moved into the dotted line position 16 will cause the scratch feed.to be distributed on the floor adjacent the bird, rather than uponother side, so that the feed falling upon and around the bird willdetract its attention amount of attention and care,.and the poultry manloses considerable time in going from dish to dish, besides theliability of overlooking one or more, which if overlookedwould probablybe the most important. Furthermore, a bird feeding from such separatevessel, is liable to gorge itself or overfeed with that particularmaterial, rather than getting a proper proportion of the various foodsprovided. 1n the present improvement, however, a plurality of feedtroughs A, B, C, D, E and F are shown arranged adjacent to one anotherand also adjacent the feeding floor. Each of these troughs is shownconnected with a reservoir 17. These reservoirs are arranged in thepresent showing around the outside of the main container 1, and havetheir upper open ends upon a plane with the upper openend of said maincontainer. Such troughs and the containers are shown as mating segmentsforming complete cylinders. This is for the purpose of cleanliness andeconomy of space, and also that the flange 18 of a universal cover 19may fit over the outer sides of the containers 17 and so cover all thecontainers. By the removal of this one cover all the containers will beexposed to view and may all be filled or given attention at the sametime. It may be desirable at times to shut ofi one or more of thetroughs, and for this purpose slides 20 are provided. If a bird isfeeding from one of the troughs, say from the trough F, and seeing thefeed in the adjacent troughs A and E, its attention will he more or lessdistracted fromthe feed in the trough it is feeding from, which has atendency to prevent it over-feeding from this particular trough. Thetendency is for the bird to go to thetrough and take that kind of feedwhich its system calls for 1 first, and having taken a reasonable amountas required by its system, it will instinctively leave for one or moreof the other feeds to which its attention is attracted, until satisfied.Otherwise, for instance, if the dried meat trough is located at a.distance from the other feed troughs and a bird commences picking atthe meat scrap, its whole attention is directed to the meat scrap, as itcannot see any other feed at the time. This naturally tends to make thebird gorge itself on the meat scrap, which isdetrimental to the fowl.However in the present improvement the close proximity of the severalfeeds one to the other is most advantageous, and a great improvement onthe present methods of feeding poultry from feeders widely separated'The troughs A, B, C, D, E and F are shown located at a suificientdistance above the floor that a bird, as 14', standing upon a suitableplatform 21, will be able to eat readily from the various troughs andpass from one to the other, and the platform 21 is shown carried bybrackets 22 at a sufficient height above the feeding floor 5,.that abird, as 14, may readily pass under it without inconvenience or havingits attention distracted from the bait 13. The platform 21 in thepresent illustration is shown as of square formation, it being comprisedof wooden strips which are secured at the ends to the brackets 22 sothat the platform as a Whole is sup orted at each corner. The ends oftWo o the platform strips rest'upon each of the brackets.

It is a well recognized fact among poultry raisers that the birds inpicking from a trough will sideswipe and otherwise spill the feed fromthe trough on to the floor, which feed is wasted more or less in thepresent methods of feeding by individual feeders. The troughs A, 'B, G,D, E and F are so disposed in relation to the discharge from the maincontainer 1, that the food spilled from them falls u on the feedingfloor in the zone of distribution of the scratch feed. Therefore thefowl exercisingfor the scratch feed discovers the feed which has fallenfrom these various troughs and eats it, which is a great economic andhygienic improvement over the old method where the spilled feed fromindividual feed boxes falls on the floor, becomes stagnant or mildewed,therefore unfit for feed, and remains there until the feed trough isempty, when the hungry birds then scratch around for the spilled feed,but the spilled feed then being in an unfit condition for food, thebirds are liable to contract intestinal and other disorders detrimentalto them. Such disorders cannot occur with my improved system of feeding,because the feed falling from the various troughs among the litter,isconsumed by the birds exercising for the scratch feed before suchspilled feed has had time to become sour or contaminated.

1. In a poultry feeder, the combination with a scratch feed container,and a spout for discharging the feed from the container, of a feedtrough associated with the container and located in such positionrelatively to the said spout that spillings from the trough will fallwithin the zone of discharge of such spout.

2. In a poultry feeder, the combination with a scratohfeed container,and a spout for discharging the feed from the container,

of a plurality of feed troughs associated,

with the container and each located insuch position relatively to thesaid spout that spillings from it'will fall within the zone of dischargeof such spout.

3. In a poultry feeder the combination with a scratch feed container,and a spout for discharging the feed from the container, of a luralityof feed troughs associated with the container and each located in suchposition relatively to the said spout that spillings from it will fallwithin the zone of discharge of such spout, and a platform disposedoutwardly of the troughs for the birds while feeding at the troughs.

' 4. In a poultr feeder, the combination with a scratch eed container,supporting means for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and aspout for discharging the feed from the container upon the floor, of afeed trough carried by the supporting means above the floor and locatedin such position relatively to the said spout that spillings from thetrough will fall upon the feeding floor within the zone of discharge ofsuch spout.

5. In a poultr feeder, the combination with a scratch eed container,supporting means for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and aspout for discharging the feed from the container upon the floor, of aplurality of feed troughs carried by the supporting means above thefloor and eachlocated in such position relatively to the said spout thatspillings from it will fall upon the feeding floor within the zone ofdischarge of such spout.

. 6. In a poultr feeder, the combination with a scratch .eed container,supporting means for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and aspout for discharging the feed from the container upon the floor, of aplurality of feed troughs carried by the supporting means above thefloor and each located in such position relatively to the said spoutthat spillings from it will fall upon the feeding floor within the zoneof. discharge of said spout, and a platform dis-' posed outwardly of thetroughs for the birds while feeding at the troughs.

'7. In a poultry feeder, the combination with a scratch feed container,standards for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and a spoutfor discharging the feed from the container upon the floor, of a feedtrough carried by the standardsabove the floor and located in suchposition relatively to the said spout that spillings from the troughwill fall upon the .feedlng floor within the zone of discharge of suchspout.

8. In a poultry feeder, the combination with a scratch feed container,standards for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and a spoutfor dischar 'ng the feed from the container upon the oor, of a pluralityof feed troughs carried by the standards above the floor and eachlocated in such 0- sition relatively to the said spout that s 111- ingsfrom it will fall upon thefeeding oor within the zone of discharge ofsuch spout.

9. In a poultry feeder, the combination with a scratch feed container,standards for maintaining the same above a feeding floor, and a spoutfor discharging the feed from the container upon the floor, of aplurality of feed troughs carried by the standards above the floor andeach located in such position relatively to said spout that spillingsfrom it will fall upon the feeding floor within the zone of discharge ofsuch s out,

and a platform disposed outwardly o the troughs for the birds whilefeeding at the troughs.

10. In a poultry feeder, the combination Q with a main feed containerprovided with a spout, standards for'maintaining the same above thefeeding floor, a distributer for distributing the feed in apredetermined zone upon the floor, a platform carried by said standardsat a suflicient distance above the floor that birds may freely passbelow it, a plurality of feed troughs carried by the standards for birdsupon said platform, said troughs and platform being so locatedrelatively ,to the said zone of distribution of feed that the spillingsfrom said trough will drop within said zone.

In witness whereof, I have hereuntosigned my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANK AYERS RAPPLEYE.

Witnesses:

FRANK LAMBADER, Tnos. N. THOMSON.

